DeLuxe Swift Tractor Decals Are Shipping

[Dave Ferrari]

Please visit our Arrivals page, the Swift Decals are here.

http://www.deluxeinnovations.com/arrivals04-2011.html

[James Costello]

Woo hoo!

[rswinnerton]

Nice! Even though im an HO guy, I might have to pick some up as I drive one of these trucks for Swift every day!

[Rich Reinhart]

Nice! Even though im an HO guy, I might have to pick some up as I drive one of these trucks for Swift every day!

Come on Russ, you know you want to switch to N Scale

[cfritschle]

Nice! Even though im an HO guy, I might have to pick some up as I drive one of these trucks for Swift every day!

Russ,

Do you know what year Swift first started operating the Volvo VNL780?

Carter

[Dave Ferrari]

Nice! Even though im an HO guy, I might have to pick some up as I drive one of these trucks for Swift every day!

Thanks Russ. I've had more than one request to run them in HO, what do you think?
Dave

[Bob Bufkin]

Russ, I hope they do run them in HO for you. 

Think you should show a photo of your cab with the Conrail on the side.  I know many here have probably not seen it.

[rswinnerton]

Russ, I hope they do run them in HO for you. 

Think you should show a photo of your cab with the Conrail on the side.  I know many here have probably not seen it.

Here she is... My 2010 International ProStar.


Also, Swift doesn't just haul their own and MS Carriers, we also have some dedicated accounts where we haul for Family Dollar, FedEx, and others. Also around Baltimore and LA we also haul 20' and 40' containers.

Here's the last truck I had (Volvo VNL670) while I was on the FedEx account last year:


And for you guys who do 'ultra modern' modeling, here's a shot of one of Swift's newest trailers. Note the skirting which is now becoming standard equipment on trailers:


As for the dates on the VNL780, I'll have to check, but they did have em as early as 2005 as I had an '05 780 for a while. They're much bigger inside!

And I'd love em in HO! Walthers makes Swift and MS Carriers trailers as does A-line. (Or at least they did...). There's also an older Swift scheme that would be prototypical for 1992-1998. I'll try to get some pics of those too.
Also, did you know Swift had Roadrailers? Yep! They ran em on dedicated trains on the Santa Fe for a time. There are 3 in my home terminal just rotting away until the end of their lease.
Russ

[rswinnerton]

This shows a modern logo truck with a 'Carrier of the 90s' trailer...


This is the 'Cot90s' tractor (Freightliner FLD120)

[rswinnerton]

And now because I'm a cab-over junkie....

[Bob Bufkin]

Good stuff Russ.

[cfritschle]

As for the dates on the VNL780, I'll have to check, but they did have em as early as 2005 as I had an '05 780 for a while. They're much bigger inside!

Russ,

Thanks for the information.  I have recently decided to use December 2006 as my modeling era cutoff date because the prototypes of so much of my model railroad equipment did not survive the recession. 

And, I have a fleet of the Kato Volvo VNL780s ready for the DeLuxe decals, so I was hoping they would be appropriate for 2006.

And the photos are great too!

Carter

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Russ, that last pic you posted with the Freighliner COE... is that a 57' trailer?

I really want to model that older FL tractor with the newer graphics. That's all I would see on the road during the 1990's. Maybe they make them in HO and I can shrink them.

[rswinnerton]

Daniel,
No, that's a 53'. The nose doesn't hangout far enough for it to be a 57. That said, swift does run some 57' trailers in the west.  They also have some 53' heavy haul van trailers that have a third axel. That should be an easy kitbash!

[cfritschle]

Daniel,
No, that's a 53'. The nose doesn't hangout far enough for it to be a 57. That said, swift does run some 57' trailers in the west.  They also have some 53' heavy haul van trailers that have a third axel. That should be an easy kitbash!

Russ,

Kitbashing the trailer for the heavy haul van is easy, but coming up with an N scale Freightliner Columbia to add the fourth axle to is another story.   

Here is an N scale heavy haul trailer that was made by cutting and splicing a third axle from another DeLuxe trailer bogie.



As you can see, the Volvo is in desperate need of the DeLuxe decals.

And here is a closeup of the how the three axle bogie was created.



Carter